Kinberg has words for 'Hardy'

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"Mr. & Mrs. Smith" scribe Simon Kinberg has been tapped to do an overhaul on Fox 2000's "Hardy Men," which Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller are set to topline.

Shawn Levy is attached to direct the big-screen comedy, which follows the grown-up adventures of the Hardy Boys, teen detectives of literary fame.

Stiller is producing with his Red Hour Films partner Stuart Cornfeld. Bob Kosberg, who brought the idea to Stiller several years ago, also is producing. The long-gestating project, which has seen several writers on it, revolves around the Hardy Boys, now grown up and estranged, reuniting to solve a mystery. Kinberg will start from scratch and is expected to take the story in a new direction.

The studio is eyeing a January shoot.

The long-running Hardy Boys book series began in 1927 and was written by various ghost writers under the pen name Franklin W. Dixon. The series' 58 books chronicled the adventures of teens Frank and Joe Hardy, amateur detectives who often helped their father, a private investigator, in solving crimes.

Among the small-screen Hardy projects was the ABC primetime series "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries," which ran from 1977-79.

Carla Hacken is overseeing "Hardy Men" for Fox.

Kinberg, whose upcoming credits include "Jumper" for Regency Entertainment/20th Century Fox, is penning an untitled spy project for Fox with Nicole Kidman attached to star.